Hello all. Sorry about the extremely long update. I know I should've updated sooner, but now here it is finally. Reviews are appreciated but not required. Thanks to Nectaris for the update.
Chapter 5: Demise for One, please.
Mum,
I'm in GRYFFINDOR! Now I get to be just like you. I know you wanted me where Damon could watch over me, but I think I have enough Gryffindor cousins to take care of me. I really hope they keep Evan Potter away from me. I don't know what it is about that boy that gives me the creeps. Also, supposedly his dad is a prat, but I thought his dad was this famous hero. Do you know anything about this?
I have two other girls that I get to live with in the tower. One I met in the boats and the other I met after the sorting. Kayle is really fun. I think you may know her parents, Neville and Lavender Longbottom,. They were Gryffindors too. The other girl's name may sound familiar too, Maggie Finnigan. I am just getting to know her, but she seems pretty fun too. I think we will all get along well. Why didn't you tell me Gryffindor Tower was so pretty? I know my favorite color has always been green, but the red is really pretty too. Don't tell Dad.
Alright, one final thing and I'll stop babbling. Will you make sure Dad's not mad at me? I know he really doesn't like Gryffindor, but I actually feel like I belong here. Does that make sense? Please don't let him be mad at me. I don't know what I am going to do if he can't accept it.
Lots of love,
Ari
Ari,
Don't worry about your Dad, I am sure he is proud of you. Be strong, my sweet, and know we will always be proud of you and always love you. I am so happy that you are in my old house. I trust your cousins to take care of you, but if you have any problems please go to Professor Lupin, your Head of House. I'm sure he will be able to help you figure things out. Also, I am always only an owl away.
I'm glad you found some friends. I was afraid that if you were put in a house different from your brother that you would be scared. I guess that is not the case and good for you. Yes, I do know your friend's parents. They are great people. I will talk it over with your father, but if you want to start making plans with them for Christmas Hols - go ahead. They are more than welcome at the Manor.
One last bit before I cut this off because you know how longwinded I am. Don't use words like prat, and Potter can't be that bad. His dad, Harry was a good friend of mine, so relax around Evan. He may be able to look after you too.
I love you, Sweetheart,
Mum
P.S. Have fun with your first day of classes.
Ginny read over her response to her daughter one last time before folding and sealing it for tomorrow's post. "My baby is in Gryffindor," was all she could think as she smiled proudly to herself. Ginny had waited years to see whose footsteps her little girl would follow in. She always knew Damon would be in Slytherin, because, even at a young age, he was just like his father - cold and calculating on the outside but loving, loyal, and warm on the inside. She knew from experience that it was difficult to break through that frosty exterior, but the end result was always well worth it. Arianna, on the other hand, had always been a puzzle. Ginny's mum claimed that she was just like Ginny and had multiple aspects to her personality, but Ginny didn't see it. Secretly she had been jealous that Draco had someone who was just like him, she wanted Arianna to be just like her. Fortunately that looked like it might actually happen.
Ginny was mulling over those thoughts and turning down her and Draco's bed when Draco walked in. "Is everything alright, love," Draco asked her. Ginny just looked up at him and smiled. "You haven't said much tonight. What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Draco."
"Then why the silence? Is there something bothering you?" Draco slightly snapped because he was getting irritated. This had to deal with his baby girl for goodness sake.
Ginny suddenly felt like she was playing twenty questions. "Draco, I'm fine. I think you have done enough worrying for the both of us today. Why don't we just go to bed and call it a night?" Ginny clipped off the end of the question as her temper began to rise.
"I am not going to bed until you explain to me how you can sit around the manor all afternoon as though nothing has happened. You were worried sick when Damon left, but when your `precious little girl' leaves - you act as though nothing has happened. What is going on?!" Draco's tight rein on his emotions finally slipped. This had to deal with his family and he'd be damned if he just let it go.
"You know I love both our children dearly and equally. I only worried over Damon because you weren't going to. He was the son, the Malfoy heir, therefore he didn't need to be worried about. Well bollocks to that. He is still your child and deserves attention. Besides what does it mean to you if I don't tell everything about how I feel. You keep secrets from me. We don't tell each other everything."
"Since when do we not tell each other everything?"
"Since the beginning, Draco. Something important happened that day and yet you refuse to tell me. I have never lied to you or not trusted you with anything. Do you have any idea about how much it hurts to know you don't trust me enough to tell me about that day?" Ginny's voice cracked, tears filled her eyes, and she had to turn away from the hurt look on Draco's face.
"I don't tell you because you don't remember, and I don't want you to have to remember. I don't even want to remember! I wish I could forget everything that happened after I left that tent. Do you want me to tell you what happened?" Draco grabbed Ginny by the arm and made her look at him. He felt his gut twist at the tears silently rolling down her face, but knew there was nothing he could do without causing her even more pain. So Draco just continued to yell because anger was easy to admit to then the fear he had felt all those years ago. He had come way to close to losing her. "Do you want to hear what they said they did to you? Do you want to know the fear I felt when I couldn't find you? Do you…" Draco finally broke. He collapsed into his wife's arms as all the emotions and memories from the past caught up to him.
Ginny held Draco as comprehension dawned on her. She started to piece together the fragments of her memory with what she inferred from what Draco just told her. He was right - she didn't want to remember and now she felt horrible that she had made him remember. "Draco, I'm sorry. I understand, you don't have to tell me. Merlin, forgive me. I never realized how much you went through to save us and so many others," Ginny whispered into his ear as she stroked his hair. "I love you."
Draco looked into her eyes then, the same eyes that had saved him from darkness so many times. "I love you too, Gin. I had just realized how much I cared about you, and I couldn't let them take you away from me. I couldn't have it. You are everything and always have been."
"I know, love, I know. I'm sorry. It's ok now. You did it, and we are safe. You have kept us safe. You did it, Draco. You survived. You don't have to worry about it anymore. I won't bug you to find out what happened that day. If you want to tell me, I will listen, but it has to be your decision."
"I will tell you. I don't know when or how, but I have to tell you. It's been too hard keeping it from you. You deserve to know." Draco gathered his wife into his arms, kissed her on the head, and carried her to bed.
That they stayed like that for minutes or hours didn't matter. What mattered is that they both had survived. What they didn't know though, was that they were just beginning to have to live with it.
~*~
Arianna woke, on her first day of classes, happy and excited. Today she would get to use her new wand for the first time. Today she would get to learn new spells and all kinds of stuff about magic. She just couldn't wait. She sat up, pulled the curtains back from her bed, and skipped off to the showers.
"Is she always going to be this cheerful in the morning? If she is, I vote for a calming potion as quickly as possible," Kayle mumbled while she put the pillow over her head.
"Oh, get off it, Kayle. She's probably just excited for the first day of classes. C'mon, let's get a move on then," Maggie replied as she tapped Kayle's pillow covered head and headed towards the shower.
"Bugger it all. Fine I'm getting up. Besides who ever heard of a bloody 11-year-old who was excited to go to class?"
"Kayle, watch your mouth. You sound like me Dad when he's listening to a Quidditch match."
"Sorry, some parts of me just aren't awake this early in the bloody morning. You know, like that filter between your brain and your mouth."
"Do you even have one of those?"
"Oh, shut it," Kayle yelled as both girls walked into the showers.
An hour later, once the girls were showered and dressed they were ready to head downstairs to breakfast. Since Hogwarts requires its students to wear uniforms the greatest debate came on what to do with their hair. They all decided Arianna would look best with her hair down, Kayle with her's up, and Maggie with a half ponytail. After all that fuss the trio was good to go. They went out the portrait hold and down the stairs laughing about Kayle's potty mouth in the morning, Arianna's chipperness, and Maggie's tendency to be mom-like. Even after such a short time with her dorm mates, Arianna knew it would be her and Kayle getting in all the trouble and Maggie trying to get them out of each mess.
Once the girls made it to the Great Hall, they went through the big doors to find seats together. As Arianna sat down on one side of the table with Kayle and Maggie across from her, she heard a ruckus at the entrance. Arianna turned to see what the commotion was about and saw her brother walk in flanked by her cousins. She smiled and waved at him to let him know she was alright and he nodded in response then moved towards the Slytherin table. Meanwhile the other sets of twins, the Gryffindor ones, walked in behind their brothers and then took up seats flanking Arianna. The Slytherin twins nodded in approval and took seats next to Damon facing the Gryffindor table. Arianna chuckled at their protectiveness then tuned back into the conversation her friends were having.
Arianna was in the middle of a deep conversation and eating her meal when the morning owl post came in. Arianna looked to the ceiling expectantly and saw her father's eagle owl heading towards her. She had been waiting eagerly for her parents' responses to her letters. The owl landed, Arianna took her letters, gave the owl some food, and watched it take off for her brother. Arianna quickly ripped into her Dad's letter first and smiled at what it said. He was actually happy she was in Gryffindor. The last part of his letter confused her though - why should she stay away from Slytherin boys? He dad had been one and her brother was one, along with her cousins. She pushed those thoughts away to read her mum's letter. Her mum was happy too. The interesting part of that letter was the bit about Harry Potter, but Arianna shrugged it off and went to talk to her friends again. She was about to speak when she heard a quiet "Ahem" from behind her. Arianna looked at the shocked faces of her friends and gave them a quizzical look as she turned to see who the interrupter was. As she was turning, she caught her brother and cousins standing up at the Slytherin table, and she felt her flanking cousins stand as well. Arianna looked up and directly into the clear, blue eyes of Evan Potter.
~*~
Evan Potter finally decided to roll out of his bed and get ready for class after a sleepless night. All night he could only think about Arianna Malfoy. He thought he had gotten the strange girl out of his head, but when the first years initially came into the Great Hall last night he had subconsciously sought her out. He had watched her face go from wonder while looking at the night sky that the ceiling emulated to calculating and confused while looking at her classmates. He had wondered if she was sizing them up and deciding who was worthy of being a friend, a scale on which he had been sorely lacking. Then she began to scan the House tables, looking for family, he presumed. When her eyes landed on his, he saw confusion flash into her eyes before she hid her thoughts behind the façade of an indifferent girl. Any sane man would've stopped watching after getting that unenthusiastic greeting, but he just couldn't pull his eyes away from her. As she waited for her name to be called she seemed to be deep in thought. Then when she sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head he saw fear flash in her eyes before she closed them and concentrated on talking to the hat.
Evan had been just as shocked as anyone when the hat had yelled, "Gryffindor!" He stood like an automaton and watched the young witch move closer. As he had looked back at that moment several times throughout the night, he realized that he had not been shocked into silence because a Malfoy had been put in Gryffindor. That could easily re be reasoned away by the fact that her mother was a Weasley. What had shocked Evan was that she looked to be happy in his house and not disappointed. Evan had expected at least some disappointment, and it was that puzzle that had kept him up all night. Who exactly was this little witch that so intrigued him and why was he so drawn to her?
Evan decided to try to forget these thoughts and went to take a shower. Once he was dressed and ready to go he realized he was rather early for breakfast, so he ran away from his dorm room to relax in the common room. Ten minutes later he was sitting in one of the windows staring at the Quidditch pitch when he heard giggling coming from the girl's stairs. He turned to see the reason for his sleepless night along with two other girls. He quietly slipped out of the window and decided to follow them down to the Great Hall. He followed at a close enough distance to hear parts of their conversation but far enough away to not be noticed. He listened to see if he could figure out some aspect of the girl, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Sooner than he wanted, they were at the Great Hall. Evan dropped back and sat down the table from the trio of girls. Soon he was joined by his friends and sat back to enjoy breakfast.
When the Owl Post came, Evan received a letter from his parents, which he tucked into a pocket on the inside of his robes, and his class schedule for the year. "Great, double Potions first thing in the morning with the Slytherins," he thought to himself. "At least they get the same torture with double DADA with Lupin." As he was smiling and looking at the rest of his schedule, he realized a second piece of parchment behind it. He looked at the second sheet and could not believe what he saw. He somehow had gotten Arianna Malfoy's schedule by accident. Evan sat and stared at the parchment before deciding to go deliver it to its proper owner personally. Evan stood up and walked down the table to stand behind Arianna. She was busy reading a letter, so he decided to wait until she was finished. As soon as she was finished, he cleared his throat to let his presence be known. When he did this, Arianna's two companions looked up at him in wonder, then the Slytherin Goon Squad (as he liked to call them) and the Gryffindor twins stood to stare at him. "This is not going to end well," he thought to himself. "So much for being a Good Samaritan." Evan then looked down into puzzled silver - blue eyes and lost all thought completely.
~*~
Damon had always enjoyed Hogwarts. It had become like a second home to him. This year would be even better than the last two years. His sister was going to be here. Yes, they had their quarrels, but when they got along, they were a force to be reckoned with. When they were younger they had been the ultimate pranksters; needless to say, they made their Uncles Fred and George proud. With age they had become more talented and sneaky in their operations, so now their trickery was a true art form. He couldn't wait to see the kind of pranks they would be able to pull off with Sean, Mike, Dave, and Brian's help. This was going to be great, but first he had to hope his sister got into Slytherin. It would be much easier to protect her that way.
Once Damon made it into the Great Hall, he walked over to the Slytherin table to sit with his cousins. As he was sitting down, he saw Evan Potter walk in. Right there was another good reason for having Ari in Slytherin - she would be far away from that awful prat. "Sean," Damon said as he elbowed his cousin. "How do we keep that bugger away from Ari if she winds up in Gryffindor?"
"Relax, mate. She's a Malfoy. She will be in Slytherin for sure."
"But Mum's a Gryff, so how do we know for sure? We have to have a backup plan, just in case."
"Alright. Well what about my brothers? I'm sure they will take care of her if need be."
"Good plan. I had forgotten about them for a minute. She will be fine. Alright here they come." Damon watched his little sister walk into the Great Hall. He was proud to see her hold her head high and not look scared. "Good girl, Ari," he thought to himself. When she scanned the House Tables, Damon waited for her to catch his eye. She smiled at him, and he could tell she was nervous so he smiled and nodded in return to reassure her. He had to keep her safe - her dad had told him that was his one and only job this year. Damon knew he would definitely do it to the best of his ability, no matter what kind of obstacles got in the way.
Damon watched Ari climb the stairs once her name was called. She looked a little nervous but like she was holding together well. Damon expected the hat to be quick in its decision like it usually was, but for some reason it took longer than usual. Just as he was about to get scared for Arianna, the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!"
"Bugger," Damon heard from around him as he thought it himself. As Arianna walked down the steps and towards her new house table, Damon scanned the table for possible threats. He was almost done scanning the table when he spotted Evan Potter. "Buggering hell," he thought to himself. The nitwit had his eyes on Damon's sister. Damon elbowed his cousins on either side of him, nodded towards the problem and stood up. "Look at me you prat. Look at me just once so you know to stay away," Damon thought as he glared at his nemesis. Evan never turned and saw Damon, but Damon made eye contact with his cousins and the message was clearly received - Evan Potter was to never be anywhere near Arianna Malfoy.
After the feast and much glaring at the Gryffindors, Damon and his cousins convened in the Slytherin Common Room to make a plan. This plan would later be carried out by the Gryffindor counterparts who were all too willing to help. Once a suitable plan of action was in place, Damon decided it was safe to go to bed. The next day would be fun even if Evan Potter didn't stay away from his sister.
When Damon woke the next morning he heard his cousins still snoring, so he got out of bed to beat them into the showers. After a long shower, Damon felt prepared to face his first day of classes and first day of protecting his sister. Once he and all the cousins were dressed, the group headed up to breakfast. Damon scanned table all the while looking for Ari. He saw her already sitting at the table with two other girls, who he new to be her fellow first years. Damon started to relax until he looked down the table a little ways and saw Evan Potter staring at Ari.
Damon stopped dead in his tracks which caused his cousins to bump into him. All of them looked at Damon's stunned face and then in the direction he was staring. As all five boys stood like deer in headlights, the Gryffindor cousins walked into their twins. A bunch of yelling and shoving covered the whispered relay of last night's plan against Potter. As all this was going on Damon caught Arianna's eye and nodded in response to her wave and smile. With the knowledge that his sister was safe and comfortable for the time being, Damon moved towards the Slytherin table and silently beckoned his cousins to follow.
By the time Damon reached his seat, the Gryffindor twins had settled in on either side of Arianna, ensconcing her in a blanket of safety. Damon then relaxed and sat back to enjoy his breakfast. When the owl post came, Damon grabbed his schedule from the school owl and looked over at the Gryffindor table to see his father's eagle owl delivering a couple letters to Arianna, and then take off towards him. Damon was undoing his letters from the owl when movement caught the corner of his eye.
Damon looked up to see Potter heading down the table towards Arianna. Damon immediately stood which made his cousins pay attention. Damon stood glaring at Potter trying to talk to his sister as his cousins prepared to do damage control. Operation Destroy Potter was now ready to be put in action.
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